Police: Woman soaked boyfriend in alcohol, set him on fire

FRAMINGHAM - A Framingham woman set her boyfriend on fire Thursday then called police claiming he did it himself while he was drunk, authorities said yesterday.

Norman Miller/Daily News staff

A Framingham woman set her boyfriend on fire Thursday then called police claiming he did it himself while he was drunk, authorities said yesterday.

Rosilandy F. DeSouza, 25, is charged with trying to kill her boyfriend, Jose Dos Santos, by spraying him with rubbing alcohol and igniting the liquid with a lighter, prosecutor Jennifer Snook said yesterday in Framingham District Court.

DeSouza's brother, Caciano Neto, 41, of Marlborough, was also arrested. He is accused of calling one of Dos Santos' brothers and threatening to have his family in Brazil hurt if he spoke to police.

Yesterday, Framingham District Court Judge Douglas Stoddart ordered DeSouza held without bail pending a hearing Thursday to determine if she is a danger to the public. If she were released, she would be taken into federal custody because authorities say she is an illegal immigrant.

At 2:13 a.m. on Thursday, DeSouza called 911 and said her husband, Dos Santos, had been drinking all day and was having medical problems, police spokesman Lt. Paul Shastany said. DeSouza later said she and Dos Santos were only dating and were not married.

When Officer Marty Keith arrived, DeSouza stood on the front walk with her 10-year-old son and said Dos Santos had burned himself.

Keith ran into the house and saw the victim lying on the couch, said Shastany said.

"He had burns on his face and hands. The victim was pleading for help. The officer tried to ask him what happened, but he couldn't answer. He kept saying, 'Help me. Help me,' as he suffered from these terrible burns."

Paramedics treated Dos Santos at the 6 Waverley Lane apartment he shared with DeSouza and her two children, and he was then taken to UMass-Memorial Medical Center to be treated for his injuries, Shastany said.

Dos Santos remains there suffering from third-degree burns to his nose, hairline and chest, and second-degree burns to his face, ears and the tops of his hands, Snook said.

"His vocal cords were also damaged, and his nose hairs were singed, indicating he breathed the flames," she said.

DeSouza told investigators she had no idea how Dos Santos set himself on fire. She said he had been drinking all day and she went to bed. She woke up because the fire alarm had sounded and she found her boyfriend outside of the bedroom on fire.

She told police she burned her hand while ripping off his shirt. DeSouza was later treated for the burn.

However, police noticed there was no fire alarm sounding and found rubbing alcohol in the bathroom sink. They also found a nearly empty bottle of rubbing alcohol in the bathroom.

DeSouza, Snook said, also told the police several different stories about how a bedroom door was damaged. She first told them it happened eight months ago, and then two weeks ago and then a couple of days ago, Snook said.

Later, police went to the hospital and interviewed Dos Santos. He could not speak because of the damage to his vocal cords, but he could shake his head 'yes' and 'no,' when asked questions, the prosecutor said.

Dos Santos said "yes" when asked if DeSouza had burned him. He also answered "yes" when the officers asked if it was deliberate.

Police tried to question DeSouza later, but she made it difficult, Shastany said.

"They (detectives) called her and she said she was upset and was sick of talking to people and she hung up," said Shastany. "They called her back, and another woman answered. They called back again and it went to voicemail."

Police questioned two of Dos Santos' brothers. One said DeSouza had threatened Dos Santos recently with a knife, but he never reported it to police.

The other brother said DeSouza's brother, Neto, had called him and told him not to speak to the police. He told Dos Santos' brother he would have his family in Brazil hurt if he spoke to them. The brother said Neto was a former Brazilian police detective and had the power to have his family hurt.

"Neto admitted he made the call," said Shastany. "He said he didn't want it to look like his sister was the only problem in the relationship."

Both DeSouza and Neto were arrested at 11:15 p.m. on Thursday.

DeSouza was charged with armed assault with the intent to kill and mayhem, while Neto was charged with intimidation of a witness.

Snook asked that DeSouza be held without bail pending a hearing to determine if she is a danger to the public.

Her lawyer, David Twohig, argued there are a lot of unanswered questions.

"I just want to caution people when someone is hurt badly, not all of the facts come out," he said.

Stoddart ordered DeSouza held without bail until the hearing on Thursday. Neto pleaded not guilty yesterday and posted $2,000 bail.

The federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency has filed a detainer against DeSouza because she is an illegal immigrant from Brazil.

(Norman Miller can be reached at 508-626-3823 or at nmiller@cnc.com.)

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